Digital SLR Sensor Sizes

Current main stream digital SLR sensors generally are one of two sizes APS-C or full frame. Full frame sensors are the same size as a traditional 35mm film frame, about 24mm x 36mm. The APS crop sensors are smaller. Canon cameras such as the EOS 40D use a 1.6x crop sensor. Nikon cameras such as the D300 use a 1.5x crop sensor. The crop factor gives a pseudo magnification effect. Lenses used on theses cameras appear to have a greater than actual focal length.

Full frames sensors are more expensive to produce. All the cameras in this comparison that sell for less than $1800 use crop sensors. Full frame SLR's in general have bigger, brighter viewfinders. They also allow lenses to work the same as they did on conventional film SLR's. For a given number of pixels, say 12MP, they also tend to have less noise and image artifacts, especially at high ISO speeds.

Several digital SLR's such as the Canon 1D and various Olympus cameras use odd sensor sizes with a 1.3x or 2x crop factor. These cameras are not discussed in this article.

Bargain Shopping with $850 in Hand

At the low end, the truth is disturbing. For my money, consumer grade point and shoot digital cameras come up way short. The typical 10 or 12 megapixel digicam can usually produce a reasonable 8x10 or 11x14 inch print, but that's it. Their tiny sensors are noisey and you are forever stuck with the one lens that came with the camera.

Luckily for you the prices of entry level digital SLR's have fallen so low, you now can buy into a digital system for this small amount of money. The 10 or 12 megapixel offerings while good, have now been bettered. It takes IMO, 12 high quality megapixels to make a good, detailed 16"x24" print. The Rebel T2i has more than enough to fill the bill. If you shoot at ISO 100 which is pretty clean, you can probably stretch a well exposed RAW image to make a very nice 20"x30" print. The Canon Rebel T2i kit is widely available for about $850 or less and is my top pick in this price range. It shoots a modest 3.6 frames per second, but landscapes don't require high speed camera work.

The kit comes with the optically very good 18-55mm IS lens . This new kit lens is optically far better than the old 18-55mm kit lens. It's build quality is still pretty flimsy, so handle it with tender loving care.

There is no free lunch mind you. While this combination will yield surprisingly good images when properly used, you still have a slow shooting, wimpy plastic body, with a tunnel vision viewfinder. You also have a plastic mount, wobbly lens, which only performs well when shot close to f8.

If you are looking for a super light weight, compact landscape camera, you might take a look at the Panasonic DMC-GF1. It's revolutionary mirrorless design, coupled with it's 4/3 size sensor, makes it the smallest interchangeable lens digital camera capable of producing a quality 16"x20" landscape print. It sells for about $679 and will prctically fit in your coat pocket. It's lens selection though is fairly limited.

$1499 with Big Dreams

In my opinion it takes about 18 megapixels of high quality data from a digital SLR to make a truly good 20 "x30" print. So given the current crop of DLSR's where does this leave us?

One camera in this range jumps out at me, the Nikon D7000. It is capable of producing very high quality images with the right glass. It's image sensor is 16MP, which is close to the 18MP I'd like to see. It's Multi-CAM 4800DX, 39 point focusing system is a cut above any camera in the under $1500 class. It's 100% coverage, 0.94x magnification viewfinder is also a cut above any other camera in this class.

The D7000 has a body that's a bit plasticy, but adequate. It can shoot about 6 frames per second. It has the best walk around lens of any under $2000 camera made. The 18-105mm VR kit lens is optically very good. It is the equivalent of a 28-158mm lens on a traditional 35mm full frame camera. It might be the only lens you ever need. The D7000 with it's kit lens has a current street price of $1495

What about the Canon 7D? A very nice magnesium body, it even has an excellent 100% viewfinder. Currently it's $1899 price puts it above the $1500 mark I've set for this slot. Also, its' 18-135mm kit lens is no match for Nikons comparable offering.

 

 

 

 

 

 

$3500 and Wanting More

Do you want a little bit more than the above cameras can offer? Would you like to make 24"x36" prints of that once in a lifetime shot? Do you want to shoot a digital SLR that can match 6x7 film scans in quality? Than 2010 may be the year you have been waitng for. At least two camera systems in this price range can make this happen for you.

If you were a landscape shooting 5D owner, Canon didn't forget you in 2008. In late November of that year, the long rumored 5dMkii finally arrived. It was a superb replacement for the first affordable full frame DLR, the original Canon 5D. It's sensor is superb. It produces images which match the $8000 Canon 1DSmk3. It's rear LCD display is excellent, possibly best in class. After that the fun ends. To stop it from cannibalizing 1DSmk3 sales, Canon left it with the dated 5D autofocus system. It also left the viewfinder at a claimed coverage of 98% rather than the 100% it deserved. The viewfinder brightness is adequate, but not in the class of the Nikon D3x.

The 5Dmkii is available in a kit with the very nice EOS 24-105mm f4 IS L lens for about $3299.

 

The Sony A850 is one of two full frame digital SLRs in the world with built in image stabilization . Each and every lens you can mount on the A850 has the advantage that IS gives at slow shutter speeds. It's excellent 98% viewfinder is brighter than the 98% viewfinder of the 5Dmkii. Its sensor is excellent at ISO 100-400 and produces images of a very high quality.

The $2000, A850 body is as solid as a rock. It's solid but not huge in size, like the competing 1 series Canon, or D3 Nikon bodies. To my way of thinking, it's an excellent design and the ideal compromise.

The Sony made, Zeiss designed, 24-70mm f2.8 zoom that can be had for about $1500 may be the best lens of its type made. Couple this Zeiss zoom with the A850 body and you have a superb landscape kit for about $3500.

Either of these two cameras, when properly used is capable of producing very high quality 20"x30" prints. With proper processing of a RAW file high quality 24"x36" prints are also obtainable.

What about thr Nikon D3x? I had the chance to use and test two D3x bodies for a period of two weeks. The D3x does have the best autofocus system of any camera I've used. Amazingly accurate and very quick, even in very dim light. The viewfinder is great, 100% and almost as bright as the Sony A900. The body, not surprisingly was rock solid.

The IQ was a tiny bit better at low ISO speed than either of the above cameras. That said, the margin is very small, maybe 5%. It is visble only pixel peeping at 100% on the computer screen. At print sizes of 20"x30" or smaller the difference was invisible. I suspect it might become visble at close inspection, if you pushed the prints to 27"x40" in size or larger. Honestly though, it's a very, very small difference we're talking about. For my money, the D3x is simply way overpriced at $8000. If it sold for $6000 my thoughts might be different.

LF 4x5 replacement?

As a very happy Pentax 645Nii owner in the film era, I've been waiting for this little guy for years. Long promised, it's finally arriving in the US in December of 2010.

Although it's not yet made it to the US, it has been available in Japan for about 5 months. RAW files I've looked at shot with the 645D look excellent. Great color and tonality, execellent dynamic range and a very "natural" look. DxO mark tests show the sensor to perform at a level that matches or exceeds the MF backs that are double the price of the 645D. All reports show the autofocus tops the MF competition.

The 40MP RAW files I've looked at are good enough to produce 32"x40" prints that rival 4"x5" large format film in quality.

I've got a suitcase full of excellent Pentax MF glass I have saved from bygone days that I can't wait to test on this little jewel.

The Pentax 645D coupled with the excellent 45-85mm standard zoom lens should set you back about $12500, when it arrives in Decmber 2010.

How can you pull afford to pull this purchase off? Easy, get a second mortgage on your house, tell your wife you bought it used in a hock shop and went back to shooting film.

I'll see you next year and have a great 2010!